Ecbatana was a city in Media where a scroll was found containing a decree by King Cyrus (Ezra 6:2).
Also known as Achmetha
Ecbatana, also known as Achmetha, was an ancient city located in Media, a region in present-day Iran. It served as the capital of the Median Empire and later as a summer residence for Persian kings. In the biblical context, Ecbatana is mentioned in the book of Ezra as the place where a significant scroll was discovered during the reign of King Darius I of Persia (Ezra 6:2). The scroll contained a decree issued by King Cyrus, allowing the Jews to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and authorizing the use of royal funds to support the project. This discovery provided crucial evidence and support for the Jews in their efforts to restore the Temple and re-establish their religious practices in Jerusalem. Ecbatana's mention in the Bible highlights the city's importance as an administrative center and repository of official documents during the Persian period.
Approximate location: 34.798, 48.515 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
(Ezra 6:2 marg.). (See ACHMETHA.)
Ezra 6:2 margin. In the apocryphal books Ecbatana is frequently mentioned. Two cities named Ecbatana seem to have existed in ancient times, one the capital of northern Media—the Media Atropatene of Strabo—the other the metropolis of the larger and more important province known as Media Magna. The site of the former appears to be marked by the very curious ruins at Takht-i-Suleiman.
ECBAT'ANA. Ezr 6:2, margin. The name of two cities. The capital of northern Media, now known as the ruins Takht-i-Suleiman, about 75 miles south-west of the Caspian Sea. The larger city was the metropolis of lower Media, now called Hamadan, one of the most important cities of Persia, having from 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. Both cities are referred to in the Apocryphal books.
ECBAT'ANA. Ezr 6:2, margin. The name of two cities. The capital of northern Media, now known as the ruins Takht-i-Suleiman, about 75 miles south-west of the Caspian Sea. The larger city was the metropolis of lower Media, now called Hamadan, one of the most important cities of Persia, having from 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. Both cities are referred to in the Apocryphal books.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0307
And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.